On November 7 at 2 p.m., John Bry and Bill Bean will be presenting a program at the Champaign County Historical Society.

Champaign County has significant ties to the American Civil War and deep connections to the causes and issues leading up to the conflict – from the Underground Railroad, groundbreaking fugitive slave cases that tested national law, personalities who shaped the trajectory of the war, men who fought with U.S. Colored Troops, and countless others who gave their lives from Champaign County to preserve the Union and end the practice of slavery once and for all.

The war took its toll on the county, and memorials to the Union dot the landscape including the “Man on the Monument” as the first such tribute to be erected and dedicated to all from Champaign County who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Bean’s presentation will highlight the role of some of the regiments which served from Champaign County.

Bry will also offer a brief recounting of the history behind the “Man on the Monument,” its designer, and the struggles the project faced over six years until it was completed, along with the other memorials across Champaign County that would follow.